A Lion and His Cub
by treblegnome
Summary: Myrcella knows who her real father is and she needs his help.


Jaime Lannister was nearly asleep at his bed in Casterly Rock when the knock sounded at his door. He was weary and would have preferred to pretend he was asleep. It had been a long journey away from Brienne and the riverlands, but he had duties at the rock that must be attended to before he could continue the search for the Stark girls. Whoever was knocking would have to wait until morning, sleep was more important to him than any ravens or financial matter right now.

"I asked not to be disturbed." He reminded the servant who had poked his head in the door.

"Forgive me my lord, a rider has just arrived. It is a young girl alone, she claims to be Myrcella, sister of the king."

Myrcella? She was supposed to be in Dorne. Safe. Jaime rose and pulled on his boots. Whoever it was, Jaime wanted to know why she had come. "Where is she?"

"She is with the maester. She was injured and needed tending."

Jaime followed him to the maester's rooms. Several maids and the maester surrounded the young woman. Jaime waited patiently for them to clear the room so he could speak to his guest. When the last one had gone, he moved into the light and could see that the young woman before him was indeed Myrcella. She was older than when he had last seen her, no longer a child. Her face was scarred and bruised. He couldn't begin to guess what had brought her here.

"Myrcella, are you alright?" Jaime took a step closer to her, tempted to embrace his daughter but then stopped.

Trembling, she nodded. "I need your help, Father."

Jaime took a step back. "How long have you known?" There was no use denying it even if he wanted to. And he didn't want to.

"Since I was six or seven. I walked in on you and mother one night...I didn't understand what it all meant until I was older but I knew."

He moved to sit in a chair next to her bed and reached over to hold her hand. "I am sorry that I was never a real father to you."

Myrcella choked back a sob. "But you were…" She struggled for a moment with her tears before going on. "In a way you were a much better father than Robert Baratheon ever hoped to be...I saw how he treated mother, how he lay with so many other women and sometimes he beat her with his own hand...women did not matter to him...but you were loyal to her and kind and treated her like a person in spite of her faults...like a person who mattered...I was proud to be your daughter…"

He squeezed her hand. "The daughter of a kingslayer? You always seemed so afraid of me whenever I saw you at court… I thought I must be your least favorite uncle…"

"I wasn't afraid of you. I was afraid of the king finding out how much I cared, I thought he might kill us all if he knew."

"He might have. You are wise beyond your years my daughter." He said. She responded with a small smile. "So tell me, what has happened to bring you here from Dorne?"

"Stannis." It was the only word she could get out and Jaime noticed that she had resumed trembling.

"What about Stannis?" Jaime dreaded what he might hear.

"He sailed to Dorne with a small company of guards and his red priestess. She convinced him that the best way to take the throne was to take me as a wife."

"Gods! He meant to gain the loyalty of Lannister men by taking you. His plan might have succeeded if you had not escaped to here." He said with a sigh.

She gave him a pained look. "It isn't that simple. I was captive for about three weeks. He refused the priestess suggestion to marry me. He said I was too much an abomination to take as a wife. But he did rape me...again and again...I am with child. He will come back for the child."

This time Jaime did not hesitate to embrace her. He took his weeping daughter into his arms and let her cry for as long as she needed him. "He will never touch you again. I swear it." Jaime whispered into his daughter's hair. "And he will never take your child."

She clung to him a little tighter at those words.

"Myrcella, why did you come to me instead of your mother?" He asked when she had calmed.

She gave him an incredulous look. "Because you have better judgement. I care for mother because she is my mother but I do not trust her. I trust you."

He wasn't sure what he had done to earn her trust but he hoped he could be worthy of it.


End file.
